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When I was coming up as a salesperson back in the early nineties, one of the teachers who had a profound impact on my development was a gentleman named, J. Douglas Edwards.

Douglas was the coolest character in the world. He had a tough exterior… a little cocky and abrasive — picture Alec Baldwin in that classic scene in Glengary Glen Ross— but also a huge soft spot in his heart for anyone who carried a bag.

One of the cassettes I listened to about three million times — and burned deep into my consciousness — was a little ditty entitled, “Questions are the Answer”. And in personal selling — in any kind of persuasion, really — questions really are the answer.

Successful persuaders are masters at asking questions.

Why are questions so important?

Well, the obvious answer is they give you information. They tell you what the person you’re trying to persuade really wants.

But J. Douglas taught me that questions are much more than that…

He taught me that questions can be used to gradually pry open a person’s mind and get them to agree to almost anything.

The fundamental premise Edwards taught was that if you want to sell somebody something, you have to get them to agree with you, and keep agreeing with you.

And in the early going, what you get them to agree to is almost irrelevant. Any agreement will do, because one agreement leads to the next. Each subsequent agreement puts your prospect in an ever more agreeable frame of mind.

From the moment you make eye contact with a person, they begin agreeing with you or disagreeing with you, before you utter a single word. And you gradually build agreement upon agreement — one reinforcing the next — until your prospect is ready to agree to buy your product when you ask him to buy it.

Edwards taught that if you ask the prospect a question, and they know the answer, they’re happy you asked it. If you ask a question they don’t know the answer to, they resent it.

If you state a benefit to the prospect, he can doubt it. If he says it himself — in response to a skillfully posed question — it has to be true. And having stated its truth, he’s committed himself to it.

Your whole approach in selling is about getting the prospect to commit to things, through questions. You start with little commitments. And then you take each little commitment, and you use it to build larger ones.

So let me give you a few specific questioning strategies that J. Douglas taught me and that I leveraged into millions of dollars in sales during my years in personal selling. And later in this article, I’ll show you how these same principles can be adapted for use in your copy. Sound like a plan?

Let’s begin …

Edwards taught never to make a statement without following it up with a question. And one of his favorite questioning techniques was … the psychological bind.

Binding Questions: Some of you will no doubt be familiar with Elmer Wheeler, author of Tested Sentences That Sell.

One of the case studies in Elmer’s book explains how Wheeler saved one of the biggest drug store chains from bankruptcy in the dirty thirties. How did he do it? Simple. He trained the staff behind the malt counter to use a simple psychological double bind on each customer who asked for a milk shake.

When a customer sat down and ordered a milk shake, instead of asking, “Would you like an egg in your malt?” the clerk was trained to ask, “One egg or two?” And that single sentence resulted in the sale of 29,000 additional cases of eggs a week. Them’s a lot of eggs!

Why did this work? Because where attention goes, energy flows. By drawing the prospect’s attention away from the possibility of having an eggless milkshake, most never even considered that as an option.

And so J. Douglas trained me to close the sale effortlessly, by asking questions like: Our standard delivery is two to three weeks… would that be OK for you — or did you have a specific start date in mind? Would you like it in blue, or is the magenta your preference? Is this cash and carry, or would you like us to ship it to you?

By giving the prospect a choice of this, or that — or, this way, or that way — no matter what they said, the answer was “YES, I’ll take it!”

Active (Ownership) Questions: The idea behind these questions is to activate the prospect’s creative imagination… to get them thinking actively about the purchase and taking ownership of the product in their mind’s eye.

So I would ask questions like: Will you be managing this system yourself, or will you be handing that off to a subordinate? By the way, where will you be installing this? How will we be getting this through finance? And so on.

If the prospect answered questions like this earnestly — which they usually did if I was in rapport and had built up to them carefully — they began the all-important process of investing themselves emotionally in the purchase.

Rhetorical Tie-Down Questions: The key to all of these questioning techniques is the effective use of the power of suggestion. They’re all designed to lead people to the conclusion you want them to make… effortlessly and elegantly.

Hasn’t it been proven in countless studies that predictive dialing can save you big money in agent costs? Isn’t it critical to wring every last dollar of profit out of your operation these days? This system performs much more efficiently than your current one, don’t you agree?

Switch-Off Questions: Edwards was famous for saying that most sales people are gutless wonders who run for cover at the first sign of an objection. And he had some wonderful brass balls formulas for overcoming objections.

Formula: While the [objection] seems vital at this moment, in the long run, your ability to [benefit] dominates your decision, doesn’t it?

Example:While the weakness of the market seems vital at this moment, in the long run, your ability to handle calls for less than your competition dominates your decision, doesn’t it?

Example: I know you’re concerned by the size of the investment, but wouldn’t you prefer a $15,000 monthly operational cost savings over a small $10,000 monthly finance payment?

Challenge Questions: For the really tough objections, Edwards recommended a different set of objection handling formulas. He recommended using questions that challenged the prospect. And if you’re in rapport, this idea of demanding a justification for an objection can be very powerful.

Here are a couple of different formulas:

Formula: Why is the [objection] more important than the [benefit]?

Example: Why is the fact that you’ve never owned any of our software before more important than the additional profits I can prove this predictive dialing package can give you?

Formula: Why do you refuse [yourself or somebody else] the enormous benefits of [state the benefit]?

Example:Why do you refuse your research staff the enormous benefits of a totally accurate system of test results?

So now you may be wondering …

Great Daniel, but what does all thishave to do with mass media advertising?

Remember the cryptic note that John E. Kennedy sent to Albert Lasker in 1903?

“I am in the saloon downstairs. I can tell you what advertising is. I know you don’t know. It will mean much to me to have you know what it is and it will mean much to you. If you wish to know what advertising is, send the word ‘yes’ down by the bellboy.”

Just in case you don’t know the story, the answer to the riddle was (and still is) “salesmanship in print”.

We face the exact same challenges as copywriters as any salesperson does. We need to get the bobble head going, right? We need to handle objections, don’t we?

Do you think we might be able to sell more if we harness the power of suggestion in our copy? With just a few tweaks to the language, these question formulas can be applied all day long in your copy to achieve greater results.

I use binds in my sales copy all the time. A double bind which poses a “yes or yes” question, looks like this:

Will you take the profits this course makes you out of your business… or use them to finally hire some help — so you can spend more time with your family? Either way, the choice is yours!

Or a single bind, (also known as the heaven or hell bind) where one of the options is delicious while the other is totally undesirable, such as this:

Would you rather be one of the 5% in the developed world today who are prosperous and independent… or one of the 95% who are petrified about their financial futures?

And rhetorical tie downs work too…

You can see how they can help keep people engaged as they’re reading your copy, can’t you? And isn’t a well-crafted tie down just the ticket for getting that all important yes momentum going? You can see that, right? Of course you can. Why wouldn’t you use them?

Do we have objections to deal with in copy?

Does carter have lots of little liver pills?

The only difference is we’re not there with the customer, are we? You have to do research to determine the common objections, and then deal with them in your copy. But otherwise, the process is the same.

… Where we gave you 11 ways to prove what you say, along with examples:

Reasons Why …

Logical Argument …

Strong Examples …

Specificity …

Personality …

Personal Guarantee …

Qualifications and Credentials …

Strong Testimonials …

Before and After …

Track Record …

Demonstration …

As we said then, proof and credibility in your copy are critical for engendering belief in you, your company, and your products…

If your prospect believes you, you can be an average writer and still knock it out of the park. If they don’t believe you, nothing else matters.

So this week, we’re following it up with 7 more proof and credibility techniques.

The bigger the toolbox, the better the results!

Many of these examples are pulled from direct response promotions in the health and financial markets, because that’s where the best copywriters tend to gravitate.

But these strategies are applicable to virtually any campaign in any market.

Let’s get started …

Technique #12: Process Sidebars

You’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Well, you can use a process sidebar to illustrate exactly how something works with images. Compelling imagery makes it a whole lot easier to believe that your claims are based on a real, measurable phenomenon.

And with a single picture, you can say what might take many paragraphs to even try to explain with words alone. Plus, you can often do so much more powerfully.

This technique is used extensively in health, but it’s just as useful in other markets.

So take a few minutes to think about what strategies, techniques, or processes that you use in your business could be presented more powerfully as an image.

Real-Life Example:

Here’s a perfect example from another famous health promotion written by master copywriter, Clayton Makepeace…

Technique #13: Authority

Authority is one of the most powerful emotional triggers available to us.

Think of how you feel when you’re driving along, minding your own business, and you suddenly see red and blue lights flashing in your rear view mirror.

The compulsion to comply is strong and immediate.

As Dr. Robert Cialdini notes in his masterpiece, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, authority works on us forcefully and unexpectedly. We often find ourselves complying with requests form authority figures without even knowing why.

It’s also a strong tool to use in your marketing.

If the reader doesn’t highly respect the voice of the copy, nothing else you say may matter. So use anything that positions the spokesperson as an expert on the subject matter in question.

This includes education, career experience, books authored, major media appearances, certifications, and anything else that reinforces their qualifications and credentials.

Real-Life Examples:

Here’s an example from a promotion for a financial newsletter…

The Track Record That Made James DiGeorgia Famous

James DiGeorgia started his first business while he was still in high school, and made his first million before he turned 21!

After completing an economics degree in just 2-1/2 years, he wrote several best- selling books about investing, and served as editor of the most profitable investment advisory services in the world:

* Gold and Energy Investor — a 20% average annual track record for 10 years in a row.

* SuperStock Investor — an average winner of 72.57% a year for 7 years.

* Gold and Energy Options Trader — a 584% average annual win over 8 years in a row!

James’ prowess in calling major market moves has made him a sought-after guest at investment conferences and on CNBC and Fox Business. He is frequently quoted in publications like The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Money magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and Barron’s.

Technique #14: Maximum Impact

One of the biggest challenges with proof-in-copy is location.

Master copywriters know that where you put your proof in a promotion is as important as the proof you use, and can make a huge difference in the overall impact.

Some general guidelines:

1. Load up the first few pages with a healthy dose of proof and credibility.

2. Match proof elements to the places in the copy where the claims are made. This simply means following up claims immediately with the evidence that supports them and makes them believable.

3. Place 1 or 2 of your best testimonials up front in your lead or on the first page, and then carefully scatter testimonials throughout the rest of your promotion. Feature a running column on the right-hand side of your web page that’s filled with testimonials, and put a long series of testimonials in the P.S. of your sales letter.

4. Save some of your strongest proof elements for the closing section, where sales resistance tends to be greatest.

Real-Life Example:

This full page of powerful testimonials is located right next to the order form in a promotion for the investment newsletter, Stocks On The Move…

Technique #15: Unique Mechanism

This is just a fancy way of saying… “What makes your product unique?”

Why should a person buy your product, rather than one of the hundreds or thousands of other products in the market that claim to do the exact same thing?

You make your promises believable by proving to your prospects that you have a new way to fulfill a need or desire they have. A new “mechanism of action” that’s totally unique, different, and better than anything else out there.

The most basic example is the diet market, where you have everything from Atkins to the South Beach Diet to the Zone competing for the attention of consumers.

Each one has its own unique mechanism for producing results.

Real-Life Example:

Here’s an example from a promotion for a nutritional product from Dr. Bruce West…

Ten years after her doctor told her she was going to die, Peggy Foss is still alive and going strong… working out, hiking and even shoveling snow with no worries about her heart. As she told Dr. West, “I have been given the green light to do anything. And I do!”

Dr. West’s secret? Astounding natural compounds called phytoceuticals that allow him to fend off disease, vanquish pain, and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

They might look like the supplements sold in stores or the drugs your doctor prescribes, but phytoceuticals represent an entirely new weapon in mankind’s ongoing war against pain and disease.

Dr. Bruce West, a pioneer in their use, says phytoceuticals merge the potency of modern pharmaceuticals with the safety of most supplements.

Technique #16: Case History

A case history is a powerful tool for bringing testimonials to life.

It’s often voiced by the spokesperson and tells an emotionally-charged story of the amazing changes that occurred in the user of a product. This is how it differs from a testimonial, where the words are coming directly from a customer.

You don’t simply repeat what a customer says.

You take all of the juicy details of their testimonial and you transform it into a riveting, emotionally stirring story. And you make absolutely certain it communicates that it was all made possible by one thing… YOUR product!

Real-Life Example:

If your case history is strong enough it can often be used in your lead, as in this second example from Clayton Makepeace’s famous health promotion.

Here’s a screenshot of the actual promotion (text reprinted below)…

The Health Disaster That DIDN’T HAPPEN!

The harmless-looking white powder you’re looking at could have been a death sentence for John – and a catastrophe for his grieving family. Just hours ago, it was arterial plaque, clogging his circulatory system, restricting blood flow to vital organs, and setting the stage for a deadly heart attack or stroke.

Left alone, it had the power to turn John – a living, breathing human being – into a fading memory – a mere statistic: One of the 960,000 Americans who will be killed by a clogged circulatory system this year.

Who knows? John might have been one of the fortunate ones and survived. This plaque might just have triggered a mild heart attack or stroke, leaving him paralyzed, with diminished mental powers, but still alive.

Or, if he was really lucky, he might have escaped with a diagnosis of high blood pressure – and a lifetime sentence of drugs that may cause skin rashes, insomnia, depression, kidney damage and even rob him of his sexuality.

But now, this once-savage killer is as harmless as a teaspoon of sugar.

Because a few hours ago, John swallowed two, tiny capsules containing an amino acid so safe, that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved it as an additive to baby food. Almost immediately, it entered his bloodstream, seeking out, arresting and neutralizing the rogue calcium deposits that had super-glued this plaque to his artery walls.

Then, in an act of supreme irony, the very blood that this plaque had once blocked quickly swept it to his kidneys where it was unceremoniously evicted from John’s body as a component of urine.

Technique #17: Vivid Word Pictures

Most products lend themselves to the painting of vivid, detailed word pictures.

When you paint a vivid picture of your product, and its benefits, using rich detail and imagery – you make it visually stimulating for your prospect, and the chances of them believing and acting on your offer become infinitely higher.

The more realistic and tangible you can make your prospect’s potential experience with your product seem to them, the more they’ll believe it’s true.

You can’t bore your prospect into buying your product.

You’ve got to do everything in your power to bring your product to life!

Real-Life Example:

Here’s a killer modern-day example from our student files, selling a product for parents who homeschool their children.

It just goes to show these techniques work in any industry…

Before you order, I want you to imagine your life six years into the future. Your child is now a successful college graduate and happily married.

You have a lovely granddaughter whom you adore. It is Mother’s Day and the entire family has gathered around you, showering you with love and attention. You open a beautiful Mother’s Day card from your grown child. Inside there is a brief but heartfelt note.

Just before reading it your mind flashes back to a scene you imagined almost six years earlier to the day… as you lay awake worrying about whether your child would be accepted into the college of his or her dreams.

As if it were yesterday, you see the college admission officer staring at the tsunami of application packages piled high on his desk.

One package, however, stops him short. Leaning back in his chair he notes that this student has had a remarkable education, filled with challenging courses. They have had tremendous experiences not just in the world of students but also in the world of adults. They come across as well-rounded, mature, with a strong sense of self. “I Am A Leader!” seems to scream from every page.

The official instantly makes the admission decision.

Noting that this is a homeschool student, he places that application apart from the unwashed bulk of rejects. It is to be given special attention for the biggest scholarships his university has to offer.

And as you read those words in that Mother’s Day card, “I love you mom. Thank you for homeschooling me.” At that moment, you know that investing in my Comprehensive Records Solution was one of the best decisions you made in your entire life.

Technique #18: Expert and Celebrity Endorsements

I like to call this the “Oprah Effect.”

Nothing sells products quite like an endorsement from a well-known, highly-regarded celebrity. Think Julianne Hough for Proactiv or Jennifer Aniston for SmartWater.

Most direct response marketing companies are in a market where celebrity endorsements are not-so-common. So if you find a way to pull this off, it’s a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

While you may not get Oprah Winfrey or Bill Clinton to endorse your product, there are likely more realistic and cheaper ways to use a “celebrity” figure in your market. They just have to be a celebrity to prospects in your industry, not every consumer.

Be creative, and don’t think you have to spend a fortune up front. You could even offer your celebrity a percentage-of-sales or some other arrangement.

Real-Life Example:

Here’s a great example from a promotion for Dr. Julian Whitaker’s alternative health newsletter, Health and Healing…

In The Final Analysis …

All in all, we’ve given you 18 different ways to pile on the proof and credibility in your marketing campaigns and sales promotions.

Now we want to hear from you…

Do you use any of these techniques regularly in your own sales copy?

Do you buy into the belief that using more of these techniques in your sales copy would increase your profits by an order of magnitude?

Are there any proof and credibility techniques you use that we didn’t discuss?

Post your thoughts below!

And if you think packing all of this proof and credibility into your sales copy sounds like hard work, let me leave you with this quote from legendary ad man David Ogilvy…

“Hard work never killed a man. Men die of boredom, psychological conflict, and disease. They do not die of hard work.”

What’s arguably the most important, efficient, and impactful copywriting skill?

It’s not writing with empathy… although you can package empathy very powerfully with this skill.

It’s not writing headlines… although this key skill will make you a headline master.

It’s not storytelling… although every great story is built on this skill.

No, arguably the most important copywriting skill… that impacts EVERYTHING else you write and is the foundation for many A-List copywriters…

… Is mastering the art of the zinger… aka: fascinations… aka: BULLETS!

MY MASSIVE FAILURE Story!

About 10 years ago, I unknowingly enrolled in a “bullet bootcamp.”

I’d set up a 3-way joint venture with a life-insurance guy and a practice management guru for dentists, and I thought…

“What could possibly go wrong?”

I was writing the copy, the dentist was publishing my 8-page ad in his monthly publication to 100,000 dentists, and the insurance agent would set up the dentists with a terrific life insurance product whose commissions would reward us all handsomely.

Well unbelievably, the life insurance guy lost his license just after the publication mailed!

So it was horribly embarrassing when excited dentists called to get this great life insurance product and had to be turned away.

Ouch!

The dentist’s costs for printing and mailing were about $75,000.

Double ouch!

So… feeling responsible, I offered to write select copy for the dentist for the next year.

He said OK and asked me to analyze a dozen of his info products and write lists of bullets for each of them.

It was a Herculean task, but I wrote out about 500 bullets over the next few months… which was agony… yet it drove the bullet-writing lessons deep into my neurology and has served me well ever since.

OK, so what’s so great about bullets?

Well, for starters…

Because they pack so much into so little space…

Because they hook your reader with curiosity and drama…

Because the reader stops “skimming” as you force their attention back into the copy!

And… YOU can hone your bullet-writing skills without the pain and humiliation I suffered… by digging into the rest of this post and learning at the feet of 5 of the greatest bullet-writing masters in marketing history.

Here’s the first…

Genius #1: The Zaniest Copywriter in Living Memory!

Of course, I’m talking about the mad-mad-marketing wizard… the Prince of Print… the Road Warrior of Results… Gary Halbert.

I met Gary at a supposedly “free” marketing seminar a dozen or so years ago in Florida.

And John Carlton pitched his info product, Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel, which I bought for about $2,000.

But it was all worth it a hundred times over.

Besides, I was a chiropractor at the time and Gary asked me to adjust his back, which I did on the floor of the seminar room during a break… crazy.

Anyway, here’s Gary’s advice TO YOU for becoming a bullet-writing ninja…

Get five hundred 3×5 index cards. Go to a big newsstand and get dozens of magazines. (If you’re strapped for money, you can do this in a library for free.) Only get those magazines with lots of teaser copy (“bullets”) on the covers. Cosmopolitan is just about tops when it comes to this. Write one bullet on each index card. Try to pick out only really “Hot Bullets.” Keep at it until you have 500 cards with 500 bullets.

What will you get if you do this? Most importantly, you’ll get a neurological imprint of writing good bullets!

And what do you do with this deck?

Read them aloud every day… enough so that you finish the deck once every week for a month.

And why not kick off this seemingly-simplistic… but actually very advanced training… with some hot bullets from the legendary John Carlton?

Here’s a nice batch:

>>> Exact word-for-word samples of sales letters that brought in millions… and how to adapt those same letters for your own business!

>>> Tested appeals and “grabbers” that guarantee readership… and tested “closers” that almost force people to send you money!

>>> Why having money or a nice car is 100% irrelevant to having a great love-life! (And the 3 “basics” that are relevant but ignored by nearly every lonely guy!)

>>> How to “read” the signals of women who are dying to date you right now! (They think they’re being obvious, but I’ll bet you’re blind to these signals. Just learning this one secret — how to “read” women — will boost your “romance potential” through the roof!)

>>> The “voice tool” that will immediately change your attitude from calm to dominant in any surprise situation!

>>> How to use a little-known “positioning secret” to completely cancel out the superior size or experience of your attacker! (Size and strength are meaningless when you know this secret!)

>>> Why a simple “mock” submissive action will always fool a larger opponent… and set him up for quick, easy fight-ending moves!

>>> How to gain an immediate “Psychological Edge” when someone pulls a knife on you… and how to spot the 4 most common methods of knife attacks so you can win with a minimum of fuss and blood!

QUICK DIGITAL-AGE UPDATE: The Tetris Effect

Gary was ahead of his time.

And if you are familiar with the video game, Tetris, you’ll know what I mean.

Because the Tetris effect (also known as Tetris Syndrome)…

… Occurs when people devote so much time and attention to an activity that it begins to pattern their thoughts, mental images, and dreams.

People who played Tetris for a prolonged amount of time could find themselves thinking about ways different shapes in the real world can fit together, such as the boxes on a supermarket shelf, the buildings on a street, or hallucinating pieces being generated and falling into place on an invisible layout.

So your assignment from beyond the grave (Gary died in 2007), is to DO the 3 x 5 card exercise!

Because our fearless leader also says…

“Let me remind you once again: YOU CAN’T WRITE LIKE THIS WITHOUT PAYING THE PRICE!

Get those index cards. Write out those bullets. Then write out 500 more. Give yourself the gift of a “million-dollar neurological imprint”!

It will serve you well the rest of your days.”

Genius #2: The Screaming Eagle Himself!

By the way, notice that it’s not just the bullets themselves that make your writing (and persuasion) more accessible.

Adding batches of bullets changes the ‘look’ and gives more ‘visual variety’…

… Which makes reading easier and more appealing because you’re not faced with a long stretch of intimidating copy… since we’re all A.D.D. and lazy, with low frustration tolerance.

It’s also what you see John doing above… alternating bold and non-bold bullets… to give more variability.

It seems like a minor issue, but every detail counts and you’ll see us using the same technique in our own emails, web pages, and sales letters.

Seriously, just that little bit of internal resistance to reading the same thing for a long stretch can… and often will… make people click away.

It’s the same reason you’ll get fewer returns on hard products if customers have to find some packaging materials and take it to the post office… way too much trouble, even for expensive products.

>>> Awake Your Customers! The secret to getting them to pursue you and virtually beg you to sell them more! PLUS, how to remove mental blocks that stand between you and the success you deserve! Page 15, INSIDE!

>>> Why the Bear Market of 2000 will pull the dollar down to new record lows (Yes, I said LOWS!). And three currency plays virtually guaranteed to earn you 50% or more …

>>> What You Should Continue To Hold — And When You Should Cut Your Losses And Move On: The quickest, easiest way to clear out the dead wood in your portfolio and get your money GROWING again.

>>> Survive — And Even Profit From The Coming Bankruptcy Avalanche: The “surprise” bankruptcies at Global Crossing, Enron, and Kmart didn’t surprise us one bit. In fact, they’re just the first of an epidemic of corporate failures ahead!

>>> How To Pile Up A Fortune In The Next 24 Of Months With Strictly Limited Risk: How you can use stock market crashes — and surprise rallies — to rake in massive profits.

>>> Liberate Yourself From Business Frustration and Boredom! Break through the barriers to greater success and profits. It’s easy! Page 3, INSIDE!

>>> Get Twice As Much Done in HALF the Time! Amazingly powerful mental tools that cause your business to grow two, three, up to ten times faster than you ever thought possible. With less work, less worry, and less risk that you have now! Page 6, INSIDE!

>>> Take Control of Sales and Profits! Ever wondered if your business owns you — not the other way around. Here’s how to get back on top of your business — YOU decide how high your sales, profits, and income will be! Page 1, INSIDE!

OK… I hope you’ve got them all written out on your 3 x 5 cards, as we move onto the next marketing virtuoso…

Genius #3: Sophisticated & Trashy Marketing Marvel!

You’ve probably heard of Gene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, one of the greatest and most sophisticated books on marketing ever written.

Gene also had one of the largest modern art collections in the USA.

Yet despite his classy tastes, he was an avid reader of all the trashiest tabloids… because it kept him in touch with ALL types of people and interests.

Here are a few words of wisdom taken from a copywriting presentation he gave to the writers at the immensely successful, Rodale Press, back in 1994…

>>> Copy is not written, copy is assembled.

>>> I am not interested in what other people think is in the book [or product], I am only interested in what is in the book itself.

>>> Words in advertising are like the windows in a store… you must be able to look right through them and see the product.

>>> Copy should never call attention to itself. [NOTE: The better you get with words, the more tempting it is to show off your skill… which will kill your sales]

>>> The person who is the best prepared and the most knowledgeable makes the most money. It’s SO SIMPLE!

>>> I work three hours a day, five days a week. That’s all I work. After three hours, I get very tired… and I go work someplace else. But it’s enough that I can do this because I am better prepared than anyone else.

>>> You’ve also got to remember that you’re never selling anything. Never, ever, ever, ever, sell anything. In mail order you ask a person to try something.

>>> You’re writing to an individual, a single person always, who shares a problem or a desire with a huge mass of other people.

>>> The greatest asset after hard work is the ability to listen. You have to listen to several different layers out there in order to be successful. You have to listen, first of all, to the person who has the problem you are going to try and solve. You have to know that person so well that you can sound like him and he will mistake you for his mirror image. You have to know the kind of society he comes from, the layer of society he comes from. And finally, you have to know the society.

>>> When you go to a party, when you get in a taxi cab, when you’re with somebody on a bus or a subway, your job is to ask questions, show appreciation, and listen.

Here is an ad Gene wrote to promote Harry Lorayne’s memory techniques (Lorayne is the forerunner to Tony Buzan, Jim Kwik and the whole memory craze).

It’s a little difficult to read the body copy in that image, so here’s the brilliant lead tapped out for you. Write it out on one of your 3×5 cards:

Which of these seven “Mind Power Miracles” would you like to accomplish – not by torturous study for weeks or even months as you’d do today – but simply by playing a fascinating question-and-answer game WITH A MACHINE for as little as a single evening?

Take your choice! You can:

1) DOUBLE YOUR MEMORY FOR NAMES AND FACES – in that very first evening alone!

2) MAKE ANYBODY LIKE YOU, from the very first moment that they met you.

3) BUILD A WILL OF IRON, that smashes obstacles right out of your path, skyrockets
your earning power!

5) MAKE BAD HABITS BREAK THEMSELVES, even if they’ve plagued you for years!

6) FLASH-LEARN ANYTHING YOU WISH, even absorb whole books in as little as
30 minutes!

7) AND MAKE FEARS AND WORRIES VANISH INTO THIN AIR, automatically, simply by
answering the questions that this machine asks you – almost exactly as though you
were doing a crossword puzzle or carrying on a conversation with your friend!

Genius #4: Cloak-and-Dagger Bullet Savant

“Mel” who?

This man was the secret weapon for CEO Marty Edelston’s Boardroom Reports.

According to former Vice President Brian Kurtz, ‘Mystery Mel’ helped skyrocket the company from nothing into the 125-million-dollar-a-year success that it continued to be well into the 21st century.

He’s also been quoted as saying…

“Mel Martin was one of the world’s greatest copywriters, and nobody has ever heard of him.”

Why had no one heard of him?

Because Martin was contractually bound NOT to reveal who his employer was.

Boardroom was afraid someone would steal Mel away from them!

And you can see why…

… Because just a little bit of online searching yields a secret trove, a true study in the kind of bullets Mel was known for, “fascinations” (not to be confused with “fascinators,” the strange, often-feathered, always-nutty, hat type sculptures that mainly British women wear to weddings).

No, these fascinations were plastered everywhere … including on the outside of envelopes…

… Phrases so intriguing you couldn’t possibly carry on with your day without opening the piece of mail right then and there!

Mel Martin was known for taking those intense and irresistible one-liners and filling the entire direct-mail package with them.

Here are a few of his tempting morsels…

(From Mel Martin’s #10 envelope for Boardroom Bottom Line):

Bills it’s okay to pay late

Supermarkets: Shocking new rip-offs

How to buy a house with no down payment

How to slash your property taxes

What never to eat on an airplane

Sometimes Martin’s envelopes used a single fascination in jumbo type, covering most of the envelope face:

WHAT CREDIT CARD COMPANIES DON’T TELL YOU

And if you hoped to find relief inside the envelope, you’d most certainly be disappointed.

Because it was only a continuation of the torturous suspense and unbearable curiosity evoked by Mel Martin.

Relief, naturally, could only be realized once you gave in to the inevitable, and made the purchase.

Here are a few more Mel Martin zingers in their natural habitat:

Genius #5: Marketing Empire of the Eyes

I love Joe Sugarman, who created a multimillion-dollar empire with BluBlocker sunglasses.

I’ve read his book, Triggers, almost a dozen times and have his 30 triggers on 3 x 5 cards!

Any similarity between the characters in this article and actual electrical household implements is strictly coincidental. Furthermore, none of the aforementioned were harmed in any way during the preparation of this story …

Let’s suppose you’ve come up with a revolutionary new product. Let’s call it a Whoozit Dust and Dirt Destroyer, just for fun. It’s a vacuum cleaner on steroids. Bear with me here Yogi, this is no joke.

The Whoozit uses centrifugal force to suck dirt instead of relying on a vacuum created inside of a paper bag.

Naturally, there are pros to centrifugal action (cleans deeper, eliminates back draft, maintenance-free) and there are cons as well (high sticker price, heavy, bulky).

Now suppose you’re trying to persuade people to buy your new Whoozit Dust and Dirt Destroyer …

Are you better off presenting only the advantages that centrifugal force affords the Whoozit? Or will you sell more Whoozits if you present both the pros and the cons of the new system and try to demonstrate how the pros far outweigh the cons?

If you take the first approach you butt up against skepticism. People read your copy and it looks one sided. Biased.

If you take the second approach you appear to be an objective, fair minded source of information, and people are much more likely to trust you.

On the other hand, the mere mention of anything that could be perceived as negative may raise an objection that might never have occurred to many people reading your copy. And even if you counter the objection or turn it into a positive, you complicate the decision.

What’s the best practice?

What kind of approach works better?

Answer: like any other marketing dilemma – it depends.

Making a decision like this in the vacuum I’ve asked you to make it in is a classic marketing blunder.

The answer has nothing to do with the product and everything to do with the predisposition of your market.

Without asking questions, taking surveys, observing behaviors and all of the other discipline of research, there is no right answer.

All right smartass, let’s suppose I’ve done my homework, what then?

Of course, I was getting to that …

If your audience is already predisposed to the superiority of centrifugal action, then a one sided argument is likely to convert much better than a two sided one. They’ve already half made up their minds about it based on previous exposure to the concept.

That existing predilection needs to be reinforced, justified, and turned into a decision to act now.

If your audience is neutral, or has already dismissed the overwhelming superiority of centrifugal force, the two sided argument is best. It allows you to begin with points of agreement and build from there.

Yes, the Whoozit is a heavy, bulky beast. It’s much heavier than a regular vacuum cleaner. It’s wider too.

That’s necessary for stabilizing the 800 foot pounds of force required to pull 453% more dirt and dust out of your rug.

It’s also why we’ve installed these heavy-duty spring loaded runners that actually make the Whoozit a joy to maneuver around your home.

Unfortunately quality like this doesn’t come cheap …

At four and half times the cost of a regular vacuum cleaner, you might find the Whoozit pricey, perhaps more than a person such as yourself could afford. (Who the hell does this guy think he is telling me I can’t afford it, where do I sign?)

That’s exactly the way many of our customers felt, until they found out how much they would save…

Imagine never having to replace another expensive bag for the many years you’ll enjoy the unit.

Not only will you save hundreds over the lifetime of the Whoozit, your house will smell cleaner and fresher. There’ll be no airborne dust while you’re cleaning. Dust born allergies will never be an issue for your family. And those nasty mites hiding deep in your carpets and mattresses will be gone, gone, gone!

Does this approach look familiar to you?

If you’ve ever become involved in politics you’ve probably seen it before …

Politicians are totally plugged in to the power of intelligence gathering. Their pollsters have turned market research into an exacting science. And they use that intelligence to preach to the choir very differently than they do to the unwashed.

When addressing the party faithful, the candidate delivers a hell raising speech that shamelessly hammers home his platform and candidacy. If he mentions the opposition at all, it’s in a derisive, mocking tone.

Then when he goes on national television, he puts on his statesman hat and gives the opposing viewpoint a fair hearing before demolishing it.

The key lesson: Take pains to discover the prevailing prejudices and predilections of your target audience. Then tailor your pitch to dovetail with what they’re already thinking.

What about you?

Which approach makes sense for your market, and why?

Are there certain situations/segments you’re involved with where one approach makes more sense than the other?

If your sales message is weak in either one, it will collapse under the weight of every word, sentence, and paragraph you try to hang on it.

Belief is everything.

If your prospect believes you, you can be an average writer and still knock it out of the park. If they don’t believe you, nothing else will matter.

No one will care…

… No one will buy…

… And you’ll have the shortest marketing career in history!

That’s why…

Copywriting legend John Caples said, “You should collect 7 times the amount of information you think you’re going to need.”

And…

Master copywriter Gary Bencivenga said, “Research with a hand truck. You can never have too much information.”

The hallmark of every great copywriter is the length to which they’re willing to go to understand their product, their market, and their prospect.

The more proof and credibility you provide, the more belief you create, and you find them with research. Because it’s in the process of discovery that you’ll find everything you need to make your copy believable and credible.

So here are 11 techniques to help you pile on proof and credibility in all of your sales messages, from this day forward…

Technique #1: Reasons Why

Give your prospect all the “reasons why” what you’re saying is true.

Take a look at some of these powerful, open-ended “why” questions and notice how they quickly lead you in the direction of proof:

Why is your tax software more accurate?

Why does your protein drink supply better, more sustained energy?

Why are you able to get me twice as many Facebook leads, for half as much?

Why should I believe your program will make me a better leader?

Why does your financial editor have a better track record?

Ask yourself questions like this over and over until you can deliver objection-proof answers that are compelling and persuasive.

Real-Life Example:

Until recently, getting the full benefits of chelation therapy was uncomfortable, time consuming and expensive.

You had to take time out of your busy day… drive to the nearest chelation clinic… plop down into a chair… get poked with an I.V. needle… and sit there for up to three long hours while the EDTA was pumped into you.

When it was over, the nurse would hand you a bill for up to $300 – and then tell you that you still had nine more treatments… 27 more hours in the chair… and another $2,700- worth of treatments to go.

And as if the $3,000 bill for your first set of treatments wasn’t enough to break you, you discovered that you needed to come back in six months for another six treatments, another 18 hours in the chair and another $1,800 invoice!

The high price and inconvenience of chelation therapy put it out of reach for many Americans. But now, those days are gone for good – thanks to ENHANCED ORAL CHELATION capsules from Health Resources!

Now, you can experience all the life-enhancing, life-saving miracles of chelation therapy…

• With two small, easily swallowable capsules in the morning and two more in the evening…

• Without needles…

• In the comfort and privacy of your own home…

• And for less than $1 a day!

Closely related to this is…

Technique #2: Logical Argument

People buy on emotion, and then justify their decisions with logic.

That’s why it’s so critical to have a strong, logical argument running throughout your copy. Its purpose is to persuade your prospect’s rational left-brain, giving it all the reasons why acting on your offer is the smartest thing they could possible do.

Then move to point B… and then point C… and so on… in a smooth and logical progression, until you’ve brought your prospect to the ultimate conclusion: that buying your product is an absolute no-brainer!

Real-Life Example:

A. If history teaches us anything, it’s that when gold prices rise, gold stocks skyrocket.

C. In fact, while the average gold stock rose 79% over the last year, my portfolio of little-known gold stocks jumped an astonishing 457%.

D. Meanwhile, if you had bought just $50,000 worth of gold bullion and held it for the last 12 months, your investment would now be worth only $70,000.

E. Gold bullion is on a tear – up 40% last year – and my gold stocks did 326% better!

F. My hand-picked gold stocks could easily make you 457% richer in 2018!

Can you see what’s happened here?

All that’s left to do is hang a little meat on the bones, by providing the facts and figures to back up your claims at each stage of this progression.

Of course, one of the most obvious ways to offer up facts is…

Technique #3: Strong Examples

One of the easiest forms of proof is to simply provide strong examples. Including all of the facts, figures, statistics, and other details that support the claims you’re making.

If you’ve got 6 winning gold stocks set to explode within the next 12 months, give detailed examples to prove you’re telling the truth. With every example you give, ask yourself if that’s the best way to prove the point you’re trying to make.

Would anything make it stronger? If there’s any doubt, you still have work to do.

C. Every $25,000 you invested in my recommended stocks would have grown to $114,250… a $35,000 investment would have grown to $159,950… and a $50,000 investment would now be worth a spectacular $228,500!

These examples also demonstrate another powerful form of proof…

Technique #4: Specificity

Specificity creates belief, and is nearly always preferable to vague or general writing.

When you take the time to be thorough, your prospect can’t help but feel like more research, precision, attention to details, and care went into writing the copy. Therefore, it’s a whole lot easier to believe it and feel compelled to act upon it.

Specific doesn’t mean complicated.

It can be as simple as using precise numbers…

… Exact names, positions, or titles of people…

… Specific institutions, divisions, or companies…

… Publications, TV shows, or media outlets.

Legendary copywriter Claude Hopkins explained it this way…

“Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck’s back. They leave no impression whatever. To say, “Best in the world,” “Lowest price in existence,” etc. is at best simply claiming the expected.

“But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.”

Real-Life Examples:

• How to exploit Warren Buffet’s “Bull Market X-Factor” and make 307% profits on gold stocks in the next 60 days…

• How to use the secrets of “loading” your body for maximum power! (Traditional swings rob you of this potential power – while the Triple Coil Swing actually increases it two-fold!)

• Build enormous strength and muscle tone without exercise! Ten minute breakthrough naturally triples your growth hormone levels. Secretly being used by the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and many Hollywood stars. All you do is stand.

• As you will see in these tapes, you do not need strength, or special agility, or even previous skill in fighting. You will see how even a small man (5’ 5”, 140 pounds soaking wet) can easily disarm and take down a bodybuilder (6’ 2”, 240 pounds) trained in judo!

• A study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed strontium increased bone mass in the spine by 14.4 percent after just 18 months – and reduced specific fractures by 41 percent after just 3 years of use.

These examples also give you a taste of our next technique, and that’s…

Technique #5: Personality

Personality is often perceived as a strong form of honesty and credibility.

The extent to which you can create the feeling of friendship and rapport in your sales copy plays a MASSIVE role in its success.

When someone has the courage to “open the kimono” and show us their true colors, they feel more genuine to us on a deeply subconscious level. So anything you can do to humanize and personalize your copy will make it more believable.

… Or featuring an emotionally-moving story to help bring your personality to life…

… And even just putting your face on your marketing, and featuring it at every step of the sales process.

Real-Life Example:

My name is Dr. Michael O’Leary, and until very recently I was your basic “hacker”. I had a love/hate relationship with golf – some days I’d be driving like a pro, maybe even flirting occasionally with par… while the next afternoon my game would absolutely go all to hell.

I swear I’ve stood at the edge of the lake, holding my bag overhead, one emotional hair-trigger away from tossing the whole mess and never stepping up to another ball for the rest of my life.

Doesn’t it drive you nuts? I had no consistency to my game at all, even after 12 years of playing regularly. No way to tell what each round would bring. And it wasn’t for lack of trying, either – I’d easily dropped several thousand dollars having “pros” tell me what a horrible hook I had, and if only I would start twisting my body like thiiiis on the upswing…

Yeah, right.

When you’ve created a unique personality in your sales copy, you can make full use of the next powerful technique…

Technique #6: Personal Guarantee

A strong guarantee helps to put your prospects at ease by convincing them that you stand behind your product 100%, so there’s no risk to them in buying.

That’s why this technique is often called a “risk reversal.”

Done properly, you’re essentially taking the risk off the shoulders of your prospect and putting it squarely on your shoulders.

You can also give your guarantee a whole lot more teeth by tying it directly to the use of your product, and the success your prospect can reasonably expect to achieve using it.

Real-Life Example:

Let me be perfectly frank! These seven simple actions are literally the difference between being first in line for life’s treasures – or being satisfied with other men’s leavings!

As far as we know, they have never been collected between the covers of a single book before. Now, at last, they are yours in HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR POWER TO LEARN, by Eugene M. Schwartz!

The cost of this one-volume encyclopedia of learning-made-easy is only $5.98 – far less than other books that do not do its job nearly as well.

But even more important is its unconditional guarantee! This book must deliver every single promise we have made – it must show you beyond doubt that ACTION and not theory is the key to literally DOUBLING your earning power – or simply return it for every cent of your purchase price back!

You have nothing to lose, and a whole new world of accomplishment to gain. Send in the no-risk coupon below – TODAY!

Of course, your guarantee can only be as believable as you are, and that brings us to…

Technique #7: Qualifications and Credentials

Why should anyone listen to you?

This is, perhaps, the most important question to answer in all your sales messages.

Never assume the reader knows and trusts you, no matter how well-known you are in your industry, or how long they may have been on your email list. Tell them why they should listen to you.

Then immediately support it with factual, verifiable evidence.

Quickly reveal your qualifications and credentials using anything that positions you as an authority – such as education, career experience, books authored, or major media outlets where you have been featured.

If you don’t give them the reasons to believe what you say, Google is only a few keystrokes away. And they may not come back. So tell them what they need to know to believe you.

Don’t give them reasons to go looking for the information themselves!

Real-Life Example:

Why have NFL players… professional dancers… top executives… and over 15,000 other Americans trusted Dr. David Williams?

Because Dr. Williams is an internationally recognized authority who has dedicated the past 14 years to seeking out the most effective natural solutions for health problems.

• Williams was one of the first doctors to report such breakthroughs as isoflavones… saw palmetto… garlic… glucosamine and chondroitin… Coenzyme Q10… feverfew… echinacea… and many more.

• Williams is a member of the International Academy of Preventive Medicine, and past president of the International Preventive Health Care Foundation.

• His award-winning newsletter, Alternatives, has one of the nation’s largest circulations, with over 125,000 subscribers.

• He has worked with NFL players… dancers with the Houston Ballet… and many other athletes and professionals seeking improved performance.

• Williams is a well-known and sought-after public speaker who’s been featured on CBS “60 Minutes” and in Forbes magazine.

• For his sometimes harrowing adventures, he has earned the nickname ‘the Indiana Jones of Natural Medicine’.

A great way to give support to your expertise and qualifications is to have a third-party source do it for you, and that brings us to…

Technique #8: Strong Testimonials

It’s a simple fact of sales life…

Your prospect will discount virtually everything you say about your own product, but will generally accept testimonials from other people at face value.

Provided, of course, those testimonials are effective.

Edit your testimonials for clarity (it’s okay to do this, so long as you do not change the meaning), and make them as specific as possible about the benefit the person received. If there is more than one benefit, pick ONE benefit to focus on per testimonial.

Then write a headline for each, capturing the most compelling portion of its message.

Put a face on your testimonial (or at least, your strongest ones) and include as much information as possible about the person who wrote it, so there’s no doubt it’s 100% authentic. This includes name, city, and state/province where they live.

Spread testimonials throughout your copy, so that every place your prospect looks, he sees someone who’s just like him – only healthier, happier, or richer simply because he used your product!

Real-Life Example:

“Over $30,000 On Just The $1 Trial Offer From A List That Had Not Bought A Single Product In Over 4 Years…”

“EMAIL ALCHEMY is a complete step-by-step system for crafting email promotions that result in serious profits within days.

“I hacked together an Email Alchemy-style sales sequence for one of my clients (just to see if Daniel was full of hot air or not) and we brought in over $30,000 on just the $1 trial offer from a list that had not bought a single product in over 4 years. When the payments kick in, this promotion should result in at least $60,000 to $80,000 in total sales.

“Daniel’s system just plain works. Get it. Use it. Profit. And repeat.”

– John “Angel” Anghelache

Closely related to the testimonial is…

Technique #9: Before and After

You most often see this technique used to dramatically illustrate a person’s awful situation before they tried your product as compared to the richer, healthier, better, more meaningful life they experienced after using it.

Think your typical “rags to riches” story.

Or the “lose weight eating anything you want” story that permeates your television.

You want to make it visually dramatic, creating a strong, clear, and immediately recognizable contrast between your “before” and “after” scenarios.

In order to do that, you’ve got to have details, details, details.

So to make this work requires that your clients or customers take pictures and/or document their changes in detail…

How did they feel before they used your product?

What steps did they take when actually putting your product to use?

How did it work for them? Was it easy, simple, quick, cheap?

How did they feel while using your product?

How did they feel about themselves after using it?

Real-Life Example:

If you had seen Maureen Caron that day, you’d know why she needed a miracle.

Terrible joint problems, especially in her knees, hips and ankles, made a “normal life” nearly impossible. Things got so bad, doing everything – even the little things – became a difficult task. She even needed help just to stand up in church.

Maureen first turned to natural supplements, like glucosamine and chondroitin, with limited success.

But when she switched to the amazing discovery I’m about to describe, her joints came alive again!

Now, after faithfully taking this discovery every day, she feels fine! So fine she’s back fixing up her 10-room house – painting, doing carpentry work, and even climbing ladders. Imagine that!

Let’s move on to a perennial favorite in the health and financial markets…

Technique #10: Track Record

This is self-explanatory.

It’s simply the results your product has achieved over a specific period of time.

Although it’s most common among financial investment newsletters, you can use this technique in any market. In fact, you’ll get even better results using it in markets where it’s not typically used.

A track record can serve as proof of a number of things.

You’re a leader that’s consistently one step ahead of everyone else in your field (i.e. you were the first natural health doctor to report the saw palmetto breakthrough) …

… Or you’ve got a high success rate (i.e. 86% of your clients find their perfect significant other and get married within 6 months)…

… Plus, you can add in the time factor for maximum credibility, if it applies (i.e. a 27-year success rate is a lot more credible than 2 years).

Real-Life Example:

This “375-Million-Dollar Natural Resource Trader” is UNIQUELY QUALIFIED to help YOU grow richer in 2006-2007!

Larry has been actively involved in the energy, precious metals and natural resource investment markets for nearly three decades.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed just 11% between May 2004, and May 2006.

By contrast, Larry Edelson’s REAL WEALTH energy recommendations have rocketed ahead as much as 96.3%! Furthermore, his average winning energy recommendation generated an impressive 42.8% gain, while the average losing energy investment produced only a 15.7% loss. And overall, his net portfolio return during that time was an impressive 39%.

PLUS, with the energy markets starting to heat up, 40 of his 46 recommended positions that are still open are profitable, with an average return of 71.5%!

And finally, one of the most difficult techniques to master…

Technique #11: Demonstration

Showing your product in action will bring your copy to life like nothing else.

It’s the classic “show, don’t tell.”

When you verbally show your product in action, your prospect experiences the benefits you’re promising. He sees them in his mind’s eye. Your benefits become far more clear, and it becomes easier to believe the claims you’re making.

To make this technique work, you’ve got to create a multi-sensory experience by dynamically engaging your prospect’s senses, mind, and heart, all at the same time.

You want them to see, imagine, touch, and taste what it’s like to use your product and get all the benefits you promise.

Real-Life Example:

Here’s an example from legendary copywriter Gene Schwartz, who was a master at this…

… But this is just the beginning of the “miracles” you can perform with your memory. This secret is just one of the over 50 MEMORY INTENSIFIERS contained in this book…

For instance – REMEMBERING NAMES AND FACES! … How would you like to walk into a room of twenty new people – meet each one of them only once – and then remember their names, automatically, for as long as you live?

Think of the advantage in business, when you can call every customer by his first name, and then ask about his wife and children, instantly, by their first names! Think of the impression you’ll make when you ask him about the state of his business, hobbies, when you repeat almost word for word, the last conversation you had with him!

Think of becoming a celebrity at your club – as the member who ‘knows everyone’ – who can be depended on to avoid mistakes, to win new friends for the organization, to get things done!

One Is NEVER Enough…

Belief is the real secret to getting your prospect to buy.

It’s the key ingredient, in fact, that nearly every marketer underestimates.

You may be tempted to grab a couple of the proof and credibility techniques I’ve shared with you today and casually toss them into your copy.

Don’t be.

Using one or two of these techniques isn’t going to cut it.

You need to dig up every morsel of proof you can muster, and you need to stack your copy with as much credibility as you can. It will send your response soaring!

So what do you think? We want to hear from you…

Do you use any of these techniques regularly in your own copy?

Do you believe using more of these techniques could increase your sales and profits by an order of magnitude?

Are there any other proof and credibility techniques you use that aren’t listed here?

Post your thoughts below!

Also, one final word…

Several of the examples from this post were taken from actual promotions written by billion-dollar master copywriter Clayton Makepeace.

You can get access to 15 of Clayton’s biggest, most profitable promotions in Steal These Secrets – where you’ll discover hundreds of response-multiplying techniques that produced more than $200 million in sales…

… Demonstrated, explained, and ready to drive your sales through the roof!

Go here now for a special offer on the complete Steal These Secrets package.